Yikes! Do you all really like your Prius?

Don't Worry - Be happy.
You've got yourself a great little car and getting to know it will be a lot of fun.
Prius will serve you well.

Here's some links that will reassure you
John's Stuff - Toyota Prius and more

2005 Toyota Prius Consumer Review

Hope this helps
Pinball

 

1) It is very easy to run the battery down and you can't (shouldn't) try to jump it off yourself or the world might end

thats the 12 volt battery not the special HV battery and its only 12 volt so no world will end.

2) Gas tank/bladder is very tricky to get used to

its not tricky

3) It takes a rocket scientist to turn off the air conditioning and it keeps coming on by itself

push button....

4) Some cars get marginally good gas milage while some cars get the milage that was promised on the sticker

all cars get good milage and some get GREAT milage

5) You will have problems with the battery if you don't drive your Prius kind of often. What about vacations where you drive for a cruise and park the car for a week?

still only the 12 volt battery. and one week is no problem and after that you can disconnect it.

6) And from another site I read that they can just start accelerating all by themselves due to some glitch. Toyota says it is the floormat getting stuck with the gas pedal???

are you sure your not here to troll about the prius

 

1. The Prius 12V battery (not the hybrid battery) is smaller than that on most cars because it doesn't have to power a current-hungry starter motor. Because of that, it will drain more quickly if an accessory or light is left on for an extended period. As for jumping, it is easy to do as long as the cables are on the right terminals. I wouldn't hesitate to do it myself if needed. If you get them wrong, then the world still won't end, but you're potentially looking at expensive repairs.
2. Correct -- a little tricky anyway, and takes some getting used to.
3. If rocket science is required to push a button on the steering wheel, then yes. Otherwise no. And "keeps coming on by itself??" Not in my car.
4. Very dependent on driving conditions. Short trips on a cold engine are the worst case; some report sub-40 MPG results there. Much more common are results in the 40s and 50s. A few of us try to fully exploit the car's fuel economy capabilities, with results in the 70s or even higher.
5. I've parked the car for a week-long vacation with no problems. If you have the smart key system, you should turn it off if the car sits for more than a few days. (Switch is below the steering column.) If the battery is weak anyway, however, a week of being off could take it to the tipping point.
6. No data to support "spontaneous acceleration." A stuck floor mat does seem to be the most plausible explanation.

Yes, you've missed a lot! But you're off to a great start. And there's nothing you can't pick up by continuing to hang here. Welcome to PriusChat and Prius-dom!

Congratulations, BTW, for browsing and searching before posting a question that might have been asked 100 times already (like one about the fuel bladder).

Oh, and yes -- I love the car!

 

I don't just like it - I love it. Wouldn't want anything else.

 

I love my Prius and I do not fit into a Prius stereotype (if there is one). Good job doing research. Just start out driving your car like any other car and you should do fine. Do not top your gas tank off and fill it up before the gas pip blinks or immediately after. Make gradual changes after doing some research on PC.

Welcome to Priuschat!

 

We've left the car in the parking lot for 2 week cruises with no problem. Just remember to push the sks button off.

 

I'm a rev head and I love my Prius. Never had any problems with it. It's a Toyota, I don't expect any problems.

 

Everyone covered points 1-5 pretty well already, but I'd like to address #6: Most of those stories come from consumeraffairs.com, which is run by a bunch of ambulance-chasing lawyers who are even less trustworthy than most shady lawyers.

As for me, I don't join boards of things I don't like. Also, I'm one of the folks who get "marginally good" gas mileage, but at the 40 MPG I'm getting, that's still fantastic.

 

The spontaneous acceleration is true. I (then my wife) have experienced it. Based on aftermarket all weather mats installed as a replacement to, not put on top of, the factory mats. Even w/ the floor mat hooks engaged, the mat managed to slide forward enough so that, under hard acceleration (basically flooring the pedal), the bottom edge of the pedal can get caught under the mat and keep the pedal down. Remedied by lifting the pedal w/ your toe...sliding the floor mat back into place...shifting into neutral (apparently the engine will go into idle if the car is in neutral....then promptly throwing those mats into the trash! I replace mine w/ weathertech premium mats...the "stiff" jobbies that kinda slide in like a tray.

PS. the acceleration thing doesn't seem to happen w/ the factory mats.

 

Three years, no problems, great mileage. That's what I've had. But who would care to read that if I posted it? What you see posted are the rare problems. Too rare to be worth worrying about, in my opinion.

Far as I know, there are only a few generic "issues" with the car, other than some problems with some parts on early models (no longer an issue). If you want to question your decision, then I'd focus on the things that are commonly reported as issues.

One is how well it does on snow. Some say poorly, others say well. It's generally agreed that the stock tires are less than good on snow, and that replacement tires help. I've never had a problem, but I seldom drive in snow.

Two is the comfort of the seats. Never been an issue for me.

Three is that, at least on the older models, the antilock brakes and the traction control are touchier than in most cars. For example, if you spin the tires on acceleration, it'll cut power momentarily. So you learn not to do that.

Four, yeah, it does take a rocket scientist to run the ventilation. Just kidding. It's just not intuitive. I think the smarter posters here just pick a temperature and leave it on automatic. So you can do that, problem solved. If not, you have to learn how to get what you want. The killer is that there's no "VENT" setting. If you just want fresh air, you have to coax the car into giving you what you want. As least that's the way it is on the '05 model.

Five, the visibility is not as good as I would like. The front pillars are wide (read: safe) and there's a lot of sheet metal blocking the rear. I put round spot mirrors on my external mirrors to help that. And after a week, I was used to it.

These are minor annoyances compared to the benefits. On net, this is the best car I've ever owned.

 

My wife bought one a year and a half ago.
I liked it so much I bought one a year ago

It looks like others have answered your questions, did you still have any concerns or unanswered questions? We would be happy to help.
Congrats on your soon to arrive new Prius=)

 

we have two also. The little car is big on the inside! The ac is only problematic if you are used to doing it all yourself. If you've had more expensive cars with thermostat AC then its easy. You just set the temp you want just like in your home. The car is like gold and holds it's value. But who cares about that? Once you get one you will never leave it!

 

I LOVE My Prius!! It took some time to get used to things but I love it.

 

Mine is the most satisfying car I've ever driven, much less owned.

It is necessary to read and understand the Owner's Manual, which unfortunately is not a model of clarity in its English translation. (Toyota should outsource the writing of their US manuals to whoever does it for Honda. My GF's Civic manual is excellent.)

Don't leave the car in ACC or IG-ON for more than a few minutes. If you want to sit and listen to the radio, leave the car ON ("Ready") and in Park (not Neutral!). This way the car manages battery charging by itself, as it was designed to do.

The driver's floor mat *can* slide forward and interfere with the gas pedal if its restraining hooks are not engaged. There are two hooks on the floor in front of the seat. It should be obvious how they work. Other reports of unintended acceleration appear to be explainable by old-fart syndrome, which can afflict any car.

 

First, My prius is a 2006 with just over 48,000 miles on it.

!. I have been on vacation at times for over a week leaving the car parked. There is a button on the dash under steering wheel, press it to shut off the smart key and you will have NO problem when leaving the car for extended periods and just use the remote button on the smart key to open it when you return. Then press that button again turning the smart key back on.

2. Tank bladder is fine what happens is the gas gauge is not really all that accurate. I always fill up with fuel when the gauge gets to two or three bars.

3. just click the AC button on the steering wheel will shut off the AC and you can always adjust the fan with or without AC using the climate button and screen. I have never had an issue with it.

4. It is important to track mileage over a long term as mileage can very greatly with each fillup and this has to do with the bladder again. On a cold day the bladder will not stretch and allow as much fuel to be pumped into the tank as on a warm day. I ususlly fill up once a week after driving to Boston and back five days (over 340 miles) and the tank will take between 6 and 7 gals. In spring summer and fall it's closer to 6 and in winter it is closer to 7 as the engine (ICE) has to run more often in cold weather to keep the catilytic converter warm.

5. Answered in question 1. No issues with the battery really.

6. I have NEVER heard of this problem anywhere. The Prius floor mats are anchored to the floor and will not move.

Finally, my car has NOT been back to the dealer for ANY warranty related issues and has only had the normal oil changes and maintenace (air and cabin filters) at an independent repair shop. I do run full synthetic oil and increase the tire pressures a bit for better fuel economy. Since new we have averaged just over 50 MPG with the Prius with the best tankful being 61 MPG and the worst 44.

 

I understand your hesittion. Most of these issues you mention are very concerning. I imagine there will be Prius owners that will end up with them. If it weren't the case I don't think you'd hear about them. I don't agree that the people making such statements are ant-Prius, but just people expecting the same great Prius most people rave about. I've made the decision to take my chances with a 2009 Touring. I'll be on this forum explaining what I'm experiencing whether it be positive or negative. Some people have a hard time admitting a mistake I don't.

 

Re; #6 (if you really are worried about this, not that I think it is really an issue): press and hold the power button and the car will shut down.